Sunday, 30 October 2016

‘LAST TRAIN FROM PERDITION’ BY ROBERT McCAMMON

Robert McCammon has always been one of those writers
labelled a-must by fans and reviewers alike, and with good reasons. His ‘80s
novels and his subsequent ones have all managed to impress for their classic
blend of chills and thrills. Even those considered sub-pars by the author
himself have been given the seal of approval from around the globe. So it comes
as no surprise that his latest is no different. Called LAST TRAIN FROM PERDITION (Subterranean Press), a follow-up to I
TRAVEL BY NIGHT published in 2013, we find yet again the vampire gunslinger for
hire but on a new mission: to locate and bring back home a wayward son of a
wealthy gent. Accompanied by his female human sidekick, he’ll stop at nothing
to accomplish his mission while trying his best to contain his vampire urges. His
main goal however is to return to life of humanity, and if he plays his cards
right, meaning finding the queen bee who has turned him into a vampire, it
might certainly happen. In the meantime he puts up a fight, draws his gun whenever
he has to (which is often) and tries his best to stay afloat in a universe so
filled with baddies and bloodsuckers.

I admit, I never had the chance to read the first
novelette, so I had no idea what I was really getting myself into other than
the fact that it was to be the second installment in a historical horror
western trilogy.Thankfully McCammon summed
up the previous plot before moving on. Declaring that I was totally in love
with this effort would be a total lie, since I never had been too fond of
western horror. BUT I got to admit that storywise it is pretty involving, and
the action is almost nonstop. For some strange reasons I was reminded of 30
DAYS OF NIGHT while reading this, probably because of its vampire theme and the snow-covered
Montana setting. While limited on gore but with plenty of dreadful moments to
spare—even more so in the second half where a train is at a standstill while
things with fangs are on the attack mode—LAST
TRAIN FROM PERDITION is worth checking out, especially if you’re into
strong narrative and vengeful Cowboys and Indians. I for one will definitely give
the last installment a go, most probably when stuck in between sleazy novels,
since we all know that a good healthy balance in reading choices does a mind
good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.